Assurance scheme Red Tractor is to implement several new initiatives in order to enhance its food assurance scheme.

Farm assessors will undergo new training courses, and the assessment and inspection process will be revised to ensure greater scrutiny throughout the supply chain.

A team of ‘super-auditors’ will also be introduced to check the work of assessors and ensure that standards are consistently upheld.

David Clarke, chief executive of Assured Food Standards, operator of the Red Tractor scheme, said: “While Red Tractor is acknowledged as the UK’s leading farm assurance scheme, we’re not content to rest on our laurels, as we know that standards mean little if consumers cannot be confident that they are being properly followed.

“These latest initiatives, which we have been developing and refining over the past 18 months, are now being introduced to further enhance the quality and consistency in the way Red Tractor’s well-respected standards are implemented. They will provide an even greater level of confidence in the scheme.”

Red Tractor audits every aspect of the food supply chain, including food safety, animal welfare, traceability back to farms and environmental protection.

Clarke said: “Red Tractor Assurance covers more farms, includes more types of food, inspects more animals and addresses more safety issues than any other UK assurance scheme and the Red Tractor logo is now on-pack on more than £12 billion-worth of food and drink products. These latest developments will ensure we continue to appeal to consumers who increasingly look to Red Tractor as their assurance symbol of choice.”